Plastic medical devices such as sets for the delivery of intravenous solutions, blood, and the like from a container to a patient are often made of plasticized polyvinyl chloride formulations or the like.
A need, however, exists to make various parenteral solution sets and other devices for use in the medical field out of flexible, transparent plastic materials which may be radiation sterilized, to take advantage of that sterilization technique, while also exhibiting good properties of heat resistance, clarity, low modulus, and dielectric heat sealability, plus solvent sealability for providing a material which can be farbricated with ease.
Furthermore, tubing which is formed from the material most desirably has non-kinking characteristics.
Previously known formulations of poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate) polymers have been known to exhibit the desired resistance to radiation sterilization, making that sterilization technique a possibility for commercial manufacturing of medical devices. However, no formulation has previously exhibited the entire range of the above desired properites, as would be most desirable.
In accordance with this invention, a poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate) (or EVA) formulation is provided in which the above mentioned properties can be achieved simultaneously with a single formulation, along with good stability under radiation sterilization, with the result that parenteral solution and blood sets, as well as other medical devices, may be made from the material of this invention, having optimum characteristics from a material standpoint and also being sterilizable by radiation.